On the days before Sept. 11, two of the future hijackers legally passed from Canada into Maine and thus our state secured its dark place in that malicious attack on America. The Immigration and Naturalization Service has reported that there are nearly 9 million illegal immigrants loose in America. Each day we hear warnings about al-Qaida cells operating in our midst or in Canada thanks to their very lax immigration policies. America and Maine needs to be diligent and take action against these illegals in our midst.

Since Sept. 11, Congress passed the Patriot Act to help safeguard our citizens from terrorism. President George Bush has focused his energies on battling terrorism both here and abroad and called for the largest federal restructuring effort so that those agencies that share the mission of homeland defense will all be aligned together. These efforts are extremely important steps but these are merely the first steps along a trail that promises to be perilous. Certainly not all-illegal immigrants are here to do us harm, but we know that there are many who have come to America specifically with that goal in mind.

My opponent, Rep. Tom Allen, has an abysmal record regarding immigration policies. He indicated on the 2000 National Political Awareness (NPA) Test that he favors decreasing funding for defense intelligence. He voted three years in a row to cut intelligence funding. On that test Rep Allen indicated we should grant citizenship to children of illegal immigrants; block states from passing laws that deny human services to illegal immigrants; and reimburse states who do provide services to illegal immigrants. In June, the group “Americans for Better Immigration” gave Rep Allen a career D-plus for reducing illegal immigration. We need to deal seriously with the immigration problems America is facing.

One columnist wrote in June: “Three Saudis who were among the last of the Sept. 11th homicide hijackers to enter this country didn’t visit a U.S. Embassy or Consulate to get their visas; they went to a travel agent, where they only submitted a short, two-page form and a photo. The program that made this possible, ‘Visa Express,’ is still using travel agents in Saudi Arabia to fill this vital role in United States border security.” He continued his essay by stating that following the attacks on America, the U.S. consulate in Saudi Arabia interviewed only two of 104 applicants, rejecting none and rejections are based more on financial factors rather than security. This is untenable and the practice of issuing “Visa Express” must end.

Immigrants who remain after their visa expires aren’t automatically deported. Immigrants who sneak over the border aren’t necessarily arrested. There is a 1994 federal law in which one section- 245(I)- allows an illegal alien to request a green card, pay a $1,000 fine, and then go to the head of our immigration line. The 245(I) loophole expired in April 2001 but Senator Ted Kennedy and others seek its renewal. This must not be allowed to happen. Tom Allen supports amnesty for illegals. Illegal immigrants should not be rewarded for their crime even if they have $1000. Illegal immigrants should be detained and have their threat-level determined. If they are not a terrorist they should be deported and then allowed to follow the normal process before they can emigrate. I also oppose the amnesty program the Democratic House Leadership is sponsoring. This program would allow approximately half of America’s illegal population to remain here with legal status. One of the bombers from the 1993 World Trade Towers attack was given his green card after a similar amnesty program in 1986. This is a dangerous policy and should be strenuously opposed in Congress.

Finally, I endorse the Terrorist Admission Protection Act (TAP). The passage of the TAP Act would provide a temporary moratorium on the issuance of alien immigrant and non-immigrant visas from the world’s 15-terrorist harboring countries. It will deny the extension of amnesty to illegal aliens from those countries and it provides exception authority to the Attorney General for 100 aliens per country per year at his discretion. The fifteen countries identified in the TAP Act are: Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Steven Joyce is the Republican U.S. congressional candidate from Maine’s 1st District.